Alfa Laval: Metal Roof Waterproofing in Riyadh

Project photos

Tap any photo to enlarge. All photos were taken on site by the ETCE team.

The challenge

Riyadh roofs face a different enemy to the coast: extreme daytime heat, strong UV and large temperature swings that open up joints. At Alfa Laval, rows of turbine ventilators and a run of skylights broke the roof into dozens of detail points, exactly where old sealants had dried out and let water in during the winter rains.

What ETCE did

The ETCE crew mobilised from Dammam and treated the roof detail by detail. Each turbine ventilator base received a square EPDM flashing shaped over the sheet ribs, the skylight perimeters were sealed on all four sides, and the end and side laps around them were closed with EPDM strips bonded with high-temperature Promax Bonding Adhesive.

Failure points treated on this roof

• Turbine ventilators & fan units

  Ventilator bases flashed with EPDM shaped over the sheet ribs.

• Skylights

  Translucent sheets sealed on all four sides where they meet the metal roof.

• End laps (horizontal joints)

  Horizontal sheet overlaps cleaned and closed with a continuous EPDM strip.

• Side laps (vertical joints)

  Vertical overlaps sealed along their full run so wind-driven rain cannot track in.

Materials & method

• EPDM membrane (1.2 mm) cut to width for each detail: UV-stable and flexible at Gulf roof temperatures.
• Promax Bonding Adhesive, rated for surface temperatures up to 120°C, for a permanent bond to the metal sheets.
• Preparation first: old coatings, failed sealant and loose rust removed so the membrane bonds to sound metal.
• Roof-side, zone-by-zone execution so the building below keeps operating with no shutdown.
• Working-at-height HSE: trained crews, full PPE and safety lifelines on every roof.

The result

The ventilators and skylights, the weakest points on any industrial roof, are now sealed with a membrane suited to Riyadh's heat and UV, giving the facility a dry roof and a clear maintenance record.